Those who are predicting the death of the
e-reader in 2012 at the hands of the cheap 7- inch tablets have been quite
surprised this year. This field is still alive, thanks to the fierce
competition between the industry-leading companies such as Amazon and Barnes
& Noble and some stable choices from the companies like Kobo and Sony.
There are still a variety of options for those who prefer a bit of multimedia
with their books - and do not mind reading on the LCD screen.
Cheap prices
Barnes
& Noble Nook Simple Touch
It is definitely last year's model, but
Barnes & Noble's Nook Simple is still one of the top-notch dedicated e-ink
readers at present. For the recently reduced price of $99, you have a
touchscreen product designed specifically for the human hand, along with the
physical page-turn buttons - a rarity in this field. Of course, extra $20 will
take you to the device’s newer, brighter heir, but it's hard to argue with a
reliable reader for under $100.
Main specifications: 6-inch E Ink screen with infrared
touch, microSD slot, rated for two months of battery life
Price: $99 from Barnes & Noble
Barnes
& Noble Nook Simple Touch
You might also like...
Amazon
Kindle
For $69, you have a 6-inch e-reader with
built-in WiFi. However, there are sacrifices to be made here. If you want to
get rid of the ads, you will have to spend another $20, and the product lacks
both a touchscreen and a keyboard.
Price: $69 on Amazon
Kobo
Mini
Newly promoted by a merger of Rakuten, Kobo
has unveiled three new devices. At the low price segment is the Kobo Mini, a
device with a 5-inch touchscreen, 2GB of built-in storage and an 800MHz
processor in a 4.73-ounce package.
Price: $80 on Best Buy
High-end E-Ink
Amazon
Kindle Paperwhite
Amazon may not be the first major
manufacturer to provide solutions for reading at night, but it perfected the
experience. Granted, during the four years of development, the front-light
solution of Paperwhite is more evenly distributed, providing the more practical
white experience than its opponents. Add the capacitive touchscreen, sharper
text, eight weeks of battery life, the Kindle Store and Amazon’s devotion to 3G
book downloads, and you’ve got the best e-reader that money can buy.
Main specifications: 6-inch capacitive front-illuminated E
Ink screen, 2GB of storage, optional 3G, rated for eight weeks of battery life
with the light on.
Price: $139 (WiFi, without Special Offers) on
Amazon
Amazon
Kindle Paperwhite
You might also like...
Barnes
& Noble Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight
Amazon might have taken a little wind out
of the sails of Barnes & Noble with the release of the Paperwhite, but the
Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight is still a great choice - especially now, with
the $20 discount. Here you have all the features that make the Nook Simple
Touch a flagship reader, along with a lighter body and exclusive lighting
technology.
Price: $119 from Barnes & Noble
Sony
Reader PRS-T2
Sony did not make too many changes for the
last year’s model, retaining the abilities of pinch-to-zoom and note-taking
thaks to the dual-touch E Ink screen. The notable thing is the absence of the
front lighting technology which determines the competition this year, but the
reader is still a reliable choice - and buyers get free Harry Potter books.
Price: $130 from Sony
More than just a reader
Amazon
Kindle Fire HD (7 inches)
Last year’s Kindle Fire felt like a device
that offers an OEM-ed content rather than a reliable 7-inch tablet. However,
this year, the giant electronic retailer has focused on hardware design that
its previous models lacked. As the name implies, you have a new HD IPS screen.
Amazon has improved WiFi performance as well, and sound quality is stronger
thanks to a pair of speakers on the back of the device. All of those, along
with an excellent content choice from Amazon add up to a brilliant $199 tablet
- naturally, including Special Offers
Main specifications: 7-inch (1,280 x 800) IPS screen,
16/32GB of storage, micro-USB and micro-HDMI ports, rated for 11 hours of
battery life.
Price: $199 on Amazon
Amazon
Kindle Fire HD (7 inch)
You might also like...
Barnes & Noble Nook HD
B & N keeps on its long history with
the 7- inch tablets which started with the Nook Color. This time, it has taken
some of design features from the Simple Touch reader, with comfortable, stubby
design. The tablet delivers a high-resolution (1,440 x 900 pixels) screen for
its price level, along with the profiles for family members, access to the
applications accepted by B & N and 10.5 hours of using battery life.
Price: $ 199 from Barnes & Noble
Kobo Arc
Kobo has done its part to improve the Vox,
its first entry into the tablet space - even giving it a new name. This 7- inch
device has a 1,280x800 IPS screen, a 1.5GHz processor from TI, Ice Cream
Sandwich, and - unlike most rivals - access to the Google Play store.
Price: $200 in the coming weeks (currently
available in Canada, France and the UK).
